New play pushes buttons with provocative title, themes

Jan. 4, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Tony Sancho as Jackie, right, recovers after a fight with Ralph D. played by Larry Bates in South Coast Repertory's production of "The Mother****** with the Hat." PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Elisa Bocanegra as Veronica in a scene from "The Mother****** with the Hat" opening on January 6 at South Coast Reportory. The play follows the intertwined lives of several colorful New York characters. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jackie, played by Tony Sancho, right, and Veronica, played by Elisa Bocanegra in a scene from "The Motherf******with the Hat." PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Ralph D., played by Larry Bates tries to talk with Jackie, played by Tony Sancho in South Coast Repertory's production of "The Motherf****** with the Hat." Stephen Adly Guirgis' raw-edged urban comedy, which caused a stir and grabbed six Tony nominations in its Broadway debut last year, makes its local premiere Feb. 11 on South Coast Repertory's Julianne Argyros Stage. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The cast of "The Mother****** With the Hat," playing Jan. 6 through 27 at South Coast Repertory's Julianne Argyros Stage. From left: Larry Bates, Elisa Bocanegra, Cristina Frias, Tony Sancho and Christian Barillas. HENRY DIROCCO, SCR

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Larry Bates as Ralph D. is confronted by the pistol-wielding Jackie, played by Tony Sancho. Jackie finds a hat in the apartment of his girlfriend, Veronica, and immediately realizes that it isn't his. Needless to say, he's upset. Jackie relies on Ralph, his sponsor, for help and advice; he turns out to be a less-than-ideal source of solid counsel. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Tony Sancho stars in South Coast Repertory's 2013 production of "The Mother****** with the Hat" by Stephen Adly Guirgis. HENRY DIROCCO, SCR

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Ralph D., played by Larry Bates and Jackie, played by Tony Sancho, right, get into a fight. “This play is essentially telling a story about people grappling with pretty fundamental issues of trust and love and addiction, things that transcend class and our social differences,” said director Michael John Garcés. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Elisa Bocanegra and Tony Sancho in South Coast Repertory's 2013 production of "The Mother****** with the Hat" by Stephen Adly Guirgis. HENRY DIROCCO, SCR

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Jackie, played by Tony Sancho, right, and Ralph D., played by Larry Bates, recover after a fist fight in Ralph D's apartment. "The Mother****** with the Hat" is a story full of liars and losers, hustlers' spiels and spurned lovers' hurtful tirades PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Theater director Michael John Garcés knows that people might have certain preconceptions about a play whose title can't be uttered in polite company (or in a family newspaper, for that matter).

But he trusts that intelligent theatergoers will be able to get past a name – even one as provocative as "The Mother****** With the Hat."

Stephen Adly Guirgis' raw-edged urban comedy, which caused a stir and grabbed six Tony nominations in its Broadway debut last year, makes its local premiere Jan. 11 on South Coast Repertory's Julianne Argyros Stage after a week of previews. Garcés is directing the production.

"This play is essentially telling a story about people grappling with pretty fundamental issues of trust and love and addiction, things that transcend class and our social differences," said Garcés, artistic director of L.A.'s Cornerstone Theater Company. "I imagine many people in our audience will be of a different socioeconomic standing than the characters in the play. But there's still plenty for people to identify with."

The play concerns a former drug dealer, Jackie, who has recently been released from prison.

Jackie finds a hat in the apartment of his girlfriend, Veronica, and immediately realizes that it isn't his. Needless to say, he's upset. Jackie relies on Ralph, his sponsor, for help and advice; he turns out to be a less-than-ideal source of solid counsel.

Jackie also turns to more time-honored means of settling scores: a handgun. The first thing he shoots is the hat.

If you haven't already guessed, this is a story full of liars and losers, hustlers' spiels and spurned lovers' hurtful tirades, and the world that Guirgis' play strips bare isn't pretty.

It's also blackly hilarious.

"I want to say to people that above all, this play is really funny," Garcés said. "A lot of the things that happen in the story are really unvarnished, sometimes shocking. But the humor provides a real doorway for the audience to look through and see who these characters really are."

"'Hat' is a sort of contemporary, scabrous variation on 'The Honeymooners,' that classic sitcom about blue-collar friends and spouses getting on one another's nerves," wrote The New York Times' Ben Brantley in his review of the Broadway staging. "Irritation can reach extra-incendiary levels when it's fueled by substances that Ralph Kramden had probably never heard of, like crack cocaine."

A TOUGH JOURNEY

Guirgis is a member and co-artistic director of New York City's LAByrinth Theater Company. The son of an Egyptian father and an Irish American mother, he grew up in Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Guirgis found success writing for gritty network TV and cable dramas such as "NYPD Blue" and "The Sopranos," but unlike many playwrights who are lured away by the camera, he has remained active and successful on stages throughout the U.S. and abroad.

His plays' titles reveal that the themes, characters and locales of "Hat" are fixations: "Our Lady of 121st Street," "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train," "Dominica the Fat Ugly Ho."

Guirgis' work for the stage attracts actors of note and some famous names. On Broadway, "Hat" starred Bobby Cannavale, an actor who made a big impression as an unhinged gangster in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." Comedian Chris Rock made his Broadway debut in the same production.

All that East Coast talent on both sides of the stage, coupled with the play's streetwise New York locale, gives rise to an obvious question: How will it sit with West Coast actors and viewers?

"Audiences seem to enjoy it wherever it plays," Garcés said. "Our cast is mostly L.A.-based; we do have one actress who is Newyorican. She knows these people very well, how they should sound. That's a big help.

"And I feel that the worlds of New York, even this one, are pretty familiar to us."

The play's tricky name has proven to be a marketing challenge for theaters, at least in the U.S. Many simply opt for "The Mother With the Hat," which Garcés said makes it sound like a children's play.

But the director believes the title serves a purpose by signaling to people the gravity of what they're about to see.

"Grappling with addiction and coming to terms with the damage – that's a tough journey. But I think (audiences) will find it worthwhile to take it."

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